When starting a treatment to combat obesity or overweight, the goal is not exclusively to lose weight. In these cases, losing weight also means gaining in quality of life, being the improvement of health the most important thing for the patient.
To assess whether a treatment for overweight has been successful, we should not only look at the weight.
What are the main benefits after weight loss?
- Lower blood glucose levels (type 2 diabetes).
- Lower levels of negative cholesterol in the blood
- Hypertension
- Infertility
- Joint problems
- Metabolic age
What is metabolic age?
It is the age of the body at the physiological level. This makes it possible to distinguish between two people born in the same year, depending on the dietary lifestyle they have led, whether they have done sports, etc.
For example, in many cases of obesity, the metabolic age is much higher than the real one, and a 30 year old person may have a metabolic age of 50.
When a person has a metabolic age lower than the real (biological) age, it means that healthy lifestyle habits are reflected in a physical way. Conversely, when it is higher, it means that a change in lifestyle is required to reduce the likelihood of future health problems.
How is metabolic age determined?
In order to determine a value, the most frequently used system is through bioimpedance. This consists of body composition studies, in which the different body compartments are measured, such as fat, muscle and lean mass, body water, basal metabolism, bone mineral… reflecting an estimation of the metabolic age of the patient.
How to modify health habits?
In the aforementioned case of patients whose metabolic age is higher than the real one, it is necessary to follow a series of changes:
- To carry out an adapted dietary plan. This can be complemented with a technique that works as a base, such as the ingestible balloon, intragastric balloon or POSE method, depending on the patient.
- Physical exercise.
- Adequate rest.
These three points are fundamental to improve the metabolic age. In any case, overweight is the starting point for any health-related improvement.
It should also be noted that weight loss is about 85% in patients treated with techniques such as the intragastric balloon, achieving an improvement in biological age, as well as remission of type 2 diabetes, cholesterol or hypertension.
For these reasons, in patients with obesity or overweight, the primary objective should be to improve the patient’s health, weight loss being only a consequence.